#GrecoMonday: Looking at age-group World success from 2016-2019

Photo of Kamal Bey after winning a Junior World title in 2017.

The age-group Greco-Roman World Teams are on an upswing for Team USA. Between 2016 and 2019, the U.S. has earned 11 age-group medals in Greco, excluding the 2019 U15 World School Combat Games. To put it in perspective, from 2000-2015, the U.S. only had eight Greco age-group World medalists.

It should be noted when looking at these numbers that the Cadet World Championships were reinstated in 2011 after a 12-year hiatus.
Before we get into the age-group medals won, it’s also worth acknowledging that the U.S. had a tremendous showing at the 2019 U15 World School Combat Games. It was the first time wrestling was invited to participate in the World School Combat Games, an event that is usually held once every two years. Team USA earned medals in 7 out of 10 weight classes, including five golds.
Those medalists are:
Aden Valencia – Gold 38 kg
Paul Kelly – Gold 41 kg
Zachary Silvis – Gold 44 kg
Joel Adams – Bronze 48 kg
Jadon Skellenger – Gold 62 kg
Tyler Antoniak – Gold 68 kg
Andrew Blackburn-Forst – Bronze 85 kg
Now, let’s get into the Cadet and Junior medalists.
2016 – 2 medals
Taylor LaMont – Junior World bronze (60 kg)
G’Angelo Hancock – Junior World bronze (96 kg)
2016 saw Team USA nab two medals, both in the Junior division. Taylor LaMont, a seven-time age group World Team member took bronze at 60 kg. LaMont, who competes collegiately for Utah Valley, has continued progressing in Greco and is currently No. 3 on the National Team at 60 kg.
G’Angelo Hancock was also a bronze medalist, placing in the 96 kg bracket. Hancock has emerged as one of the top Senior-level athletes in the country, representing the U.S. at the Senior World Championships in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Hancock also qualified the weight class for the Olympic Games after making the finals of the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier in March. By doing so, he earned a berth in the Olympic Team Trials finals.
2017 – 3 medals
Cevion Severado – Junior World silver (50 kg)
Kamal Bey – Junior World gold (74 kg)
Cohlton Schultz – Cadet World gold (100 kg)
In 2017, the U.S. earned three medals across two age groups, including crowning two World champions.
Kamal Bey won a Junior World title at 74 kg and cemented himself as one of the rising stars of Greco-Roman. Bey would win the Senior World Team spot in 2018, placing seventh at the World Championships at 77 kg. In 2019, Bey finished runner-up at Final X: Rutgers to Pat Smith and as a result is currently No. 2 on the National Team. 77 kg is one of two Greco-Roman weight classes not yet qualified for the Olympic Games, and Bey is considered one of the front-runners to contend for the spot.
The other gold medalist was Cadet World champion Cohlton Schultz. This is the first of three World medals that Schultz has won. Schultz, who took an Olympic redshirt during his freshman year at Arizona State last season, is No. 2 on the National Team at 130 kg, the other weight class yet to be qualified for the Olympic Games.
The third medalist was Junior World runner-up Cevion Severado. Following his silver medal, Severado won a Junior Pan Am Championships title in 2018. Last season, Severado competed for Missouri as a redshirt freshman, compiling a 19-6 record.
2018 – 3 medals
Andrew Berreyesa – Junior World silver (82 kg)
Cohlton Schultz – Junior World bronze (130 kg)
Jacob Kaminski – Cadet World bronze (92 kg)
Schultz won his second World medal in 2018, taking bronze after moving up an age division and 30 kg.
The other Junior World medalist was Andrew Berreyesa, who earned silver at 82 kg. Berreyesa, who wrestles collegiately for Cornell, placed sixth at Senior Nationals competing at 77 kg this past December, one spot shy of earning a berth to Olympic Team Trials.
The third medalist was Jacob Kaminski, who took bronze at the Cadet World Championships at 92 kg. Kaminski was a 2018 state champion in Illinois, before transferring to Wyoming Seminary, where he finished as a National Prep Championships runner-up in 2019. Kaminski will be a senior in high school this season, but it seems likely that he could end up playing football in college rather than wrestling.
2019 – 3 medals
Alston Nutter – Junior World bronze (63 kg)
Peyton Omania – Junior World bronze (67 kg)
Cohlton Schultz – Junior World silver (130 kg)
In 2019, USA Wrestling had a banner year on the Junior level. Lead by Cohlton Schultz, who moved up one spot on the podium to silver, the U.S. claimed three Junior medals.
Alston Nutter, who focusses on Greco-Roman full time at Northern Michigan University, finished with a bronze medal at 63 kg, a great improvement from his 0-2 performance at the 2018 Junior World Championships.
The third medalist was Peyton Omania, who earned bronze at 67 kg. Omania, will be entering his third year at Michigan State after a redshirt during the 2018-2019 season and Olympic redshirt during the 2019-2020 season. Omania has also competed at the 2017 Cadet World Championships, the 2018 Junior World Championships and the 2019 U23 World Championships.